Garth Brooks announces ‘Fun’ new album title; vinyl box set

Album will be released this spring

Garth Brooks is set to release a Fun new album in 2019. The country superstar teased last week that he’d announce the title on this week’s Facebook Live Inside Studio G series and he held that promise much to fans’ delight.

“It’s gonna be fun. I can just tell you this right now. The whole album has kinda been built on that. The possibilities were Layla’s actually – Layla’s kinda turned everything around for that performance there. I even talked to Miss Layla about it. Just saw her this week. That would’ve been the close second for me, but we’re just gonna call it Fun. There it is. It’s just a fun album. It’s just fun. It’s all it’s gonna be,” Brooks says. “It’s just been a fun thing to go through, a fun process to go through, especially being off from touring where you don’t have to worry about if you’re voice is going to be able to go in for sessions or not, you just go in anytime you want. The same guys, call ’em up at 2 am like we did on ‘The Courage Of Love’ like we did for America’s Got Talent out there. So this has been a fun experience. We’re probably gonna wrap it up this week, maybe one more session after this week, but this is gonna be it for us as far as cutting things.”

The album is expected to be released sometime this spring, although no further details were given. Hints include Amazon pre-orders, which have been available since June 2018, staying at $10 through Brooks’ birthday, February 7th. Advanced tracks include the lead single, “All Day Long” and its B-side “The Road I’m On” — which is also the new stadium tour opener — as well as current single “Stronger Than Me.” A rough mix of the America’s Got Talent song “Courage Of Love” has also been released to fans who’ve pre-ordered, although no word if the song will be included on Fun.

“The vinyl is the word for 2019. So just think of anything… forward slash vinyl. Just follow it with that — everything we’re gonna do. It’s gonna be fun. Vinyl is coming. So now let’s talk about how vinyl is coming. Surely not on the new record, too? Yes. Vinyl is coming on the Fun record. We gotta figure this out. Don’t know how we’re gonna do this yet, but we will figure it out. That’s still not the final news. The vinyl news is coming, but let’s talk about that special number, shall we?” Brooks says with enthusiasm.

“When you think about the most important date of your life, you get all kinds of different stories. Just image a package so rare that they’re gonna be numbered and you can reserve those numbers. It’s coming. We’re figuring it all out. Usually with Garth stuff all of our people kinda go ‘You gotta be kidding me?’ With this one, they just went ‘There’s no way it can be done,’ but it’s gonna be done. It’s gonna be fun and you are gonna be the first ones to know about it and you will be the first ones we’re going to bring it to. It’s always whether you want it or not.”

Brooks teases that more details will be given as information is available. “Next week, let’s just expand a little more on it as the information comes in. We’ll declare this package hopefully soon and have some artwork for you to see. I’m just telling you right now, take what you think of vinyl, throw it out the window because what’s coming, it’s never been done before. Even the manufacturer’s going, ‘You gotta be crazy.’ But yeah, you’re right, we’re crazy, but it’s gonna be fun.”

The package is expected later in 2019, but no release date has been unveiled as of press time.

Buddy Iahn
Buddy Iahn